Sebastian Stan has signed on to star as sidekick Bucky Barnes in the movie adaptation of Marvel’s ‘The First Avenger: Captain America.’ Both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter have announced that while Stan originally tried out for the lead role of Captain American, Chris Evans, who previously starred in the comic book adaptation of ‘The Fantastic Four’ and its sequel, was picked instead.

Stan, who recently completed a stint on ‘Gossip Girl’ with ‘The Covenant’ co-star Chase Crawford, has signed on to star in five or six Captain America movies. However, there’s no word yet if any of the sequels will all be set in the present day, or if the series will eventually tackle ‘The Avengers.’

Bucky became Captain America’s sidekick during World War II, when he discovered the superhero’s true identity on the battlefield. The teenage orphan convinced Captain America to let him be his sidekick. However, Bucky was killed when he was helping the hero try to defuse an exploding rocket. Captain America was thought to have died as well, but he was thrown into the Arctic Circle, where he was frozen for decades. Bucky was later revived by the Soviets to become The Winter Soldier.

‘The First Avenger: Captain America’ is set to begin filming over the summer in Europe. Joe Johnston has signed on to direct the movie, which has a slated release of July 22, 2011.

Written by: Karen Benardello